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Is dcu.ie a Scam? Security Check Results - Dublin City University

dcu.ie Security Report Summary

dcu.ie received a security score of 62 out of 100 in Guard's comprehensive security analysis, classified as "Moderate Risk". This report covers Dublin City University's website security posture. Dublin City University operates in the Education industry in Ireland.

Dublin City University (DCU) is a prominent higher education institution based in Dublin, Ireland, offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, research programs, and community engagement initiatives. The website reflects DCU's strong market position as a leading young university with high graduate employment rates and international recognition. The digital infrastructure is built on Drupal 10 with modern web technologies and integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools, all managed with robust cookie consent mechanisms to ensure GDPR compliance. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforcement, security headers, and no visible vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The website provides a professional user experience with good accessibility and mobile optimization. Overall, DCU's online presence is trustworthy, well-maintained, and aligned with its institutional reputation.

The security scan identified 22 findings across security headers, SSL/TLS, DNS health, email security, GDPR compliance, and NIS2 compliance analysis modules.

Technologies detected: Drupal 10, Bootstrap 3.4.5, jQuery, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, TikTok Analytics, Cookiebot, AddToAny.

About this security scan

Guard performs automated security assessments of websites by analyzing SSL/TLS certificates, HTTP security headers, DNS configuration, email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), GDPR compliance indicators, NIS2 directive compliance, network exposure, and AI-powered business intelligence. Each report provides domain-specific findings, risk scores, and actionable recommendations.

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Is dcu.ie Safe? Security Analysis for Dublin City University

http://dcu.ie

Check if dcu.ie is a scam or legitimate. Free security scan and reviews.

EducationIrelandlarge
Drupal 10Bootstrap 3.4.5jQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle Analytics+4 more
Analyzed 6/22/2025Completed 9:07:44 AM9mo ago
62
Security Score
MEDIUM RISK

Above Education avg (55)

10,000+

Domains scanned

500+

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Domaindcu.ie
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SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

AI Summary

Dublin City University (DCU) is a prominent higher education institution based in Dublin, Ireland, offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, research programs, and community engagement initiatives. The website reflects DCU's strong market position as a leading young university with high graduate employment rates and international recognition. The digital infrastructure is built on Drupal 10 with modern web technologies and integrates multiple analytics and marketing tools, all managed with robust cookie consent mechanisms to ensure GDPR compliance. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforcement, security headers, and no visible vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data. The website provides a professional user experience with good accessibility and mobile optimization. Overall, DCU's online presence is trustworthy, well-maintained, and aligned with its institutional reputation.

Detected Technologies

Drupal 10Bootstrap 3.4.5jQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsFacebook PixelTikTok AnalyticsCookiebotAddToAny

7 urgent findings need attention

3 critical · 4 high

Continuous monitoring

Keep dcu.ie under constant watch

Guard tracks your live infrastructure daily: certificate expiry, DNS & mail authentication drift, uptime changes, subdomain inventory, and unexpected tracker or content shifts. A full timeline captures every diff so you can prove remediation and spot regressions instantly.

Security drift alerts

Risk score drops, new high-severity issues, and header hardening gaps

Compliance watch

GDPR / NIS2 posture changes with governance evidence snapshots

Infrastructure surface

Unexpected open services, SSL expiry, DNS & email authentication changes

Content & tracker intelligence

Marketing tech shifts, analytics drift, and AI recommendation updates

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Security Headers

4 findings

75/100

GDPR Compliance

1 finding

75/100

NIS2 Compliance

8 findings

5/100

Email Security

3 findings

85/100

🧠AI Business Intelligence

Technology stack, business insights, and market analysis powered by AI.

Business Intelligence

Market & Strategic Analysis

DCU operates in the education sector, targeting prospective and current students, staff, researchers, and community partners. The business model focuses on delivering academic programs, research excellence, and community engagement. The website highlights key services such as course offerings, student support, and campus life. Partnerships with educational trusts and external organizations are evident. The presence of multiple social media channels and marketing tools indicates active outreach and engagement strategies. The domain registration details corroborate the legitimacy and long-standing presence of the university.

Security Posture Analysis

Comprehensive Security Assessment

The website demonstrates a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, use of Content Security Policy nonces, and integration of cookie consent management via Cookiebot. No critical security issues or vulnerabilities were detected in the HTML content. However, explicit security policies and incident response contacts are not published, which could enhance transparency and preparedness. The use of multiple third-party analytics and marketing scripts is managed with user consent, mitigating privacy risks. Overall, the site follows best practices but could improve by publishing dedicated security and incident response information.

Strategic Recommendations

Priority Actions for Security Improvement

1

Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security frameworks and practices.

Observations

AI-powered comprehensive website and business analysis.

AI-Enhanced Website Analysis

Business Insights

Company:

Dublin City University

Description:

Dublin City University (DCU) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland, offering undergraduate education, masters and PhD training, research, innovation and community engagement.

Key Services:
Undergraduate coursesPostgraduate coursesResearch programsStudent support servicesCommunity engagementCampus facilities
Content Quality:

excellent

Branding:

consistent

Technical Stack

Technologies:
Drupal 10Bootstrap 3.4.5jQueryGoogle Tag ManagerGoogle AnalyticsFacebook PixelTikTok AnalyticsCookiebotAddToAny
Frameworks:
Drupal
Platforms:
Web
Performance:

moderate

Mobile:

good

Accessibility:

good

SEO:

good

Security Assessment

Security Score:
90/100
Best Practices:
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Cookie consent management with Cookiebot
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of security nonce for CSP

Analytics & Tracking

Services:
Google AnalyticsFacebook PixelTikTok AnalyticsHotjarMixpanel
Tracking Level:extensive
Privacy Compliance:good

Advertising & Marketing

Ad Networks:
Meta Platforms, Inc.AdformGoogle DoubleClick
Tracking Pixels:
Facebook PixelTikTok PixelHotjarMixpanel
Marketing Tools:
CookiebotAddToAnyUnibuddy
Transparency Level:good

Website Quality Assessment

Design Quality:excellent
User Experience:excellent
Content Relevance:excellent
Navigation Clarity:excellent
Professionalism:excellent
Trustworthiness:high

Key Observations

1

Website uses comprehensive cookie consent management via Cookiebot.

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🛡️Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis and recommendations.

Security Headers

HTTP security headers analysis

75/100
Score

Weak Strict-Transport-Security configuration

LOW

Current value: "max-age=15552001"

Missing Referrer-Policy header

LOW

Controls referrer information sent with requests

Missing Permissions-Policy header

MEDIUM

Controls browser features and APIs

Sensitive data may be cached

LOW

Cache-Control header should include "no-store" for sensitive pages

👤GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment under GDPR regulations.

GDPR Compliance

Privacy and data protection assessment

75/100
Score

No HTTPS encryption

CRITICAL

GDPR requires appropriate security measures for personal data

GDPR Compliance Analysis

Privacy Policy85% confidence
Cookie Policy85% confidence
Contact Information Found90% confidence
phone

🛡️NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive compliance assessment.

NIS2 Compliance

Network & Information Security Directive

5/100
Score

No HTTPS encryption

CRITICAL

NIS2 requires appropriate technical measures including encryption

No information security framework found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity and information security measures

No vulnerability disclosure policy

MEDIUM

NIS2 encourages coordinated vulnerability disclosure

No security policy documentation found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented cybersecurity governance and risk management

No incident response procedures found

HIGH

NIS2 requires documented incident response and business continuity plans

No business continuity planning found

MEDIUM

NIS2 emphasizes operational resilience and business continuity

No security contact information

HIGH

NIS2 requires clear incident reporting channels

No NIS2 reference found

LOW

Consider explicitly mentioning NIS2 compliance efforts

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📧Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation and email security assessment.

Email Security

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation

85/100
Score

No BIMI Record

LOW

BIMI displays brand logos in email clients

No MTA-STS Policy

MEDIUM

MTA-STS enforces TLS for email delivery

No TLS-RPT Record

LOW

TLS-RPT provides reporting for email TLS issues

SPF
Sender Policy Framework
DKIM
DomainKeys Identified Mail
DMARC
Domain-based Message Authentication
MX Records
Mail Exchange Records
BIMI
Brand Indicators
MTA-STS
Mail Transfer Agent Security
TLS-RPT
TLS Reporting
DNSSEC
DNS Security
SPF Details
Record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ip4:136.206.1.100 ip4:198.187.196.100 ip4:193.120.143.134 ip4:46.22.135.53 include:spf-eu.exlibrisgroup.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:mail.zendesk.com ~all
DNS Lookups:4/10
Policy:~all
DKIM Selectors Found
Selector:google(1416-bit rsa)
Selector:k1(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:selector1(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:mail(1296-bit rsa)
Selector:s1(1296-bit rsa)
DMARC Details
Policy:reject
Aggregate Reports:dmarc@dcu.ie

🏆SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis.

SSL/TLS Security

Certificate validity and encryption analysis

0/100
Score

No HTTPS Encryption

CRITICAL

Website does not use HTTPS encryption, making all data transmission vulnerable to interception

OCSP Status

OCSP Stapling Disabled

📊DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment.

DNS Health

DNS configuration and security assessment

70/100
Score

DNSSEC Not Enabled

MEDIUM

DNSSEC is not configured for this domain

CAA Records Not Configured

LOW

Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA) records not found

Domain Transfer Lock Not Enabled

MEDIUM

Domain can be transferred without authorization

Domain Delete Lock Not Enabled

LOW

Domain can be deleted without additional verification

Domain Registration Details

Domain Age
25 years(mature)
Expiry Risk
low(expired)
Protection Level
noneDNSSEC OFF
Suspicious Indicators Detected
  • No domain protection locks enabled

DNS Records

A Records:99.80.221.0
Name Servers:
ns-105.awsdns-13.com
ns-1250.awsdns-28.org
ns-2005.awsdns-58.co.uk
ns-870.awsdns-44.net
MX Records:
1: aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com
10: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com
5: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com
SOA:Serial: 1, TTL: 86400s

DNSSEC Status

DNSSEC Not Enabled

DNS Performance

Resolution Time:80ms

SPF Analysis

SPF Record:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ip4:136.206.1.100 ip4:198.187.196.100 ip4:193.120.143.134 ip4:46.22.135.53 include:spf-eu.exlibrisgroup.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:mail.zendesk.com ~all

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis.

Network Security

Port scanning and network exposure analysis

100/100
Score

Good Network Security Posture

LOW

No unnecessary services detected on common risky ports

How does dcu.ie compare?

See how dcu.ie stacks up against similar websites in the same industry.

🔧Technical Analysis

Detailed technical findings and analysis from AI assessment.

Technical Analysis

Comprehensive security assessment findings

Additional Findings

The website is built on Drupal 10 CMS with Bootstrap 3.4.5 for responsive design. It uses modern analytics platforms including Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, TikTok Analytics, Hotjar, and Mixpanel, integrated with Cookiebot for consent management. The site shows good mobile optimization and accessibility features such as ARIA labels and skip links. Performance is moderate, with lazy loading of images and asynchronous script loading. The technical stack is modern and well-maintained, supporting a professional and user-friendly experience. Opportunities exist to improve performance further and to document hosting and infrastructure details for transparency.
Professional PDF & Marketing Data

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PDF Report & Export

PDF download, email delivery, unlock code

39.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Marketing Intelligence

Contact emails, phone numbers & warm leads

49.90 €one-time • Incl. 21% VAT

Plan Comparison

FeaturePDF ReportMarketing+
Full security analysis
Professional PDF export
Email delivery
Lifetime access + unlock code
Contact emails & phones
Marketing outreach data

Already purchased?

Order summary

Domaindcu.ie
Access tierFull report or marketing add-on

Digital reports are delivered immediately after payment. By continuing you acknowledge the withdrawal waiver described in our Returns & Refunds policy.

VisaMastercardApple PayGoogle Pay

Secure payments processed via EveryPay. Prices in EUR; Incl. 21% VAT.

SEQ SIA

Lastadijas 12 k-3, Riga, Latvia, LV-1050

Reg. No. 40203410806 • VAT LV40203410806

Support: guard@offseq.com+371 2256 5353

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